The Heart of the Pajaro Hills

Star Creek Ranch has it all

This article originally appeared in our newsletter, Landmarks, Winter 2011-2012

At its core, our Conservation Blueprint was about identifying those places in our county where conservation could deliver the most benefits for the least dollars. We were, essentially, looking for places that had it all. The Pajaro Hills fit the bill and Star Creek Ranch is at the heart of those hills: the single property that links other large properties and is, therefore, the place to begin the protection of a whole new region.

A quick look at the Blueprint’s conservation checklist will give you some idea of why Star Creek is such an exciting acquisition. Wildlife habitat, check. Fish habitat, check. Water quality, check. Recreational opportunities, check. Biodiversity, check. Connections to other large habitats, check. Potential revenue to fund stewardship, check. Available now at a bargain price, check. Potential funding from foundations and government, check. Partnerships to protect adjoining lands, check.

Wildlife Habitat
Follow the 2.5 miles of Pescadero Creek or look down on the canyon it forms from the hills above and you can’t help but see the appeal of this property for a wide variety of wildlife. Deer, bobcats, wild turkeys, mountain lions, hawks, eagles, steelhead, and even threatened species like the Southwestern pond turtle have all been seen on the ranch. The endangered California Red-legged frog is there, too – and we can enhance their environment once we own the property.

As exciting as what is on the land is what can pass through it. The Conservation Blueprint identified the Pajaro Hills as a critical link between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Gabilan Range to the south. Linking such large habitats is a high priority for the long-term health of such wide-ranging species as the Mountain lion and badger.

Water
Pescadero Creek drains a watershed as big as the Aptos Creek watershed. It runs year-round and already serves as a critical steelhead spawning and rearing habitat. We anticipate that restoration and stewardship work will increase the steelhead population. The creek flows into the Pajaro River and the property has numerous streams and springs – all of which contribute to the flow of quality water into the Pajaro Valley and its overdrafted aquifer.

Recreational Opportunities
Star Creek Ranch has 24 miles of unpaved roads and trails, which can provide the basis for a wide range of recreational opportunities in the future. Because the ranch borders all the large neighboring ranches in these hills, it is the critical link in providing connections to other lands as they are protected – as well as to currently protected lands, including Clark Canyon Ranch (owned by Peninsula Open Space Trust), Castro Valley Ranch (where there is a trail easement already) and Mt. Madonna County Park.

Conservation Forestry and Stewardship
The 1,200 acres includes 360 acres of redwood forest that has been logged in the past. The Land Trust will reduce timber harvests and follow the model it has used in the Byrne-Milliron Forest to create a healthy, unevenly-aged forest that will both enhance wildlife habitat and provide revenue for stewardship and restoration of the ranch. As in the Byrne-Milliron Forest, our practices on Star Creek Ranch will demonstrate the compatibility of forestry with habitat and water quality protection.

Climate Change Resiliency
When we began developing the Conservation Blueprint the threat of climate change to the biodiversity and wildlife of our county loomed large, and we wondered what, if anything, we could do in the face of such a global phenomenon. Two years later, a response emerged: we could protect landscapes that would give plants and animals a better chance of surviving a warmer, drier climate. That meant protecting lands with steep elevation changes, north facing slopes, diverse micro-climates, and year-round water resources.

The Pajaro Hills and Star Creek Ranch have these characteristics and rank among the highest in the county as important climate change refuges.